how long to determine that a saddle is not right?

[fastdogs]

I am new to bicycling. Originally I was just going to use it to exercise dogs, but I enjoy it so much that I have been taking my folding bike to work every day and riding during my lunch break. Today I rode six miles in the park after work, and the seat was almost unbearable by the time I was done. It hurt worse when I took pressure OFF the seat!
I have heard that you need to give it some time before making the determination that the saddle isn't right for you. I've only been riding regularly for 3 weeks. Do I need to give this stock saddle (velo) a longer period before I start looking for something else?
thanks

[Skierchickie]

Nope! I think 3 weeks is plenty long enough, if the thing hurts that bad. Does it always feel awful, or just the one time? It could need to be adjusted, but three weeks of torture sounds like plenty, to me. Depending on where it hurts, you could tilt it down slightly (or up, as the case may be), or slide it fore and aft.

Good luck!

[VeloVT]

Hmmm... Some aspects of fit require time to adjust to... but I would say if a saddle is killing you, it's not likely to get better. It doesn't take that much time to tell. Although you might try adjusting it a bit before making a final decision.

The one exception to this -- if it's your sit bones that are hurting and you haven't been riding for long, they'll "toughen up" after a while (I don't remember how long this takes -- a month maybe, maybe a bit less). But if it's other parts that are hurting, you shouldn't expect to adjust to the saddle.

One other comment -- sometimes other aspects of fit affect saddle comfort. If your reach is too long or your handlebars very low with respect to your saddle, this can increase saddle pressure. Also, of course, if your saddle is too high, that might cause discomfort (though I think it's much more common for people to start out setting their saddles too low than too high), and you might try tilting it down a smidge (personally, I am finding as I ride more that I like my saddle very level, when I used to prefer it tilted down a bit...). You also want to make sure it's in a good fore/aft position, but if it's not, it's **probably** more likely to cause knee pain, or possibly back pain,or maybe loss of power, than saddle pain.

Have you had a fitting done? This might help determine if it's just the wrong saddle for you, or a fit issue.

Good luck!!!

[fastdogs]

it doesn't hurt when I first start out- not like it's real comfortable, but it's not painful. Before today I'd gone four miles at the most, and it was more of a bruised feeling. Today was the first time it hurt when I took pressure off the saddle, more than when I was sitting on it. Probably this has something to do with blood flow? I'll try moving it around tomorrow to see if it makes any difference.
thanks

[boy in a kilt]

If the saddle isn't tensioned leather, it doesn't really need time to break in. For some reason, the saddle-butt symbiosis is gone.

Did you do a longer ride in the previous few days?

[fastdogs]

no, I had done four miles the previous day, then six today. I figured my butt needed time to break in, since I have not been riding for several years. I started back about 3 weeks ago with a new folding bike. I ride for 20-45 minutes during my lunch break every day, and if I don't get a chance to I stop at the park on the way home and ride. At work, I ride lots of hills, there's no flat places. At the park it's all flat. But I stay in the saddle the whole time, it was just getting so uncomfortable from the midpoint of the ride today that I was shifting around, that's when I noticed that the pain was worse when I took pressure off the saddle.
thanks

[mimitabby]

if you are fitted to the bike properly and the saddle is hurting, you need a different saddle. But even the best saddle will hurt if the seat is too high, or too far forward, etc, etc.

so. Make sure you're fit properly to the bike. Next question. WHERE is it hurting?

you should feel the pressure on your sitbones. if that's where it's hurting (and not inside of there on delicate tissues) you might consider a different saddle.
if other parts (not sitbones ) are hurting, it's either fit or you need another saddle. I hope that makes sense.

Mimi
ps takes me about 5 minutes to figure out if a saddle is going to work.. lots of experience!

[KnottedYet]

If the saddle causes you pain when you get OFF it, it's quite likely the saddle is too narrow (to the point you aren't even weightbearing at all where you should) and the pain you are feeling is the rebound of your pelvic bones and tissues.

You could also be sitting on the narrow portion of the saddle too much.

I own a couple Velos (they came with the bikes). My vote is that they are too narrow over all for my particular butt.

They might be too narrow for your butt, too.

[boy in a kilt]

I'll defer to mimi now for problem solving.

My only experience with pain in womens' rears is being the cause.

[DirtDiva]

If you can't find a sensible tilt that keeps all the soft bits happy, then I'd try something else ASAP. If the sit bones are sore when you've been off the bike for more than an hour or two, then I'd try something else ASAP. If it's just the sit bones that are hurting and they're not sore when you're not on the bike, then perhaps give it a little more time for yer bum to toughen up.

[fastdogs]

thanks for all the help. I don't think it's the sit bones hurting- there's a slightly bruised feeling to them, but it's not pain like I felt yesterday. The pain was the whole saddle contact area, and my tailbone (which wasn't even in contact with the saddle). It hurt worse immediately when I took pressure off the saddle, but quit hurting once I'd been off for several minutes. It started about halfway through the ride. I tried sitting up more, or leaning over more, but it didn't make a difference. I didn't try changing the angle of the saddle, I can try that today (if it doesn't rain me out).
thanks again
vickie

[indigoiis]

I have tailbone issues, no matter which saddle I ride on.
It has gotten better over time in the saddle. The best saddle I found for me was the WTB. But I think I have a spur or something on my tailbone.

I think you should look into trying a new saddle. What I like about WTB is they let you try them, and if it doesn't work, you can bring it back.

[Tuckervill]

I get a sore tailbone whenever I ride on the stock Bontrager saddle that came on my Treks (road, mtn). I changed out my bikes to Terry's (Liberator Y, I think and a Butterfly--I don't remember which one is on which bike, but the wider one is on the road bilke.). It wasn't too bad (the pain) in the first year I had the mtb, probably because I just didn't know any better, but it was still there.

What's relevant about that is the other day my road bike was in the shop, and my mtb had a flat. So I hopped on my son's Trek mtb with the stock Bontrager saddle, because I had limited time to ride anyway.

It quickly became apparent that a narrow saddle is the WORST for me. I might be feeling my sit bones on the saddle, but it is clear that the saddle is impacting my tail bone. It took a few days to not feel that achy pain in my bottom even just from sitting down in a kitchen chair, and I only rode that bike for 6 miles!!

His saddle is narrower than the WSD ones that came on my Treks. I suppose the contrast of the much narrower saddle made it so obvious. You probably have too narrow a saddle. I'd get a wider one.

Karen

[fastdogs]

I'll stop by the bike shop and see what they have. I don't have any pain in my tailbone today, sitting down, or even when I was sitting on the bike, only when I took pressure off the seat. I have lots of built in padding, so I guess I thought just about any seat would work for me!
What does WTB stand for? Others I should check out?
thanks!
vickie

[indigoiis]

Wilderness Trail Bicycle, I think.
Here's the link: http://www.wtb.com/products/saddles/recreation/